A growing interest in low earth orbit satellites having a small form factor has led to an increase in both launches of the vehicles and the recognition that earlier techniques for control thereof are inadequate. Due to their smaller size, cubesats generally cost less to build and deploy into orbit above the Earth. As a result, cubesats present opportunities for educational institutions, governments, and commercial entities to launch and deploy cubesats for a variety of purposes with fewer costs compared to traditional, large satellites.
To maximize the cubesat's usage and optimize its performance, it is desirable to configure the cubesat to accommodate a wide spectrum of peripherals of different types. As such, there is a need for a computer architecture that offers a rich interface to the cubesat so as to enhance the cubesat communications with various peripherals. Select embodiments of the disclosed technology address these needs.